


Alphabet Soup

by kawree



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-11
Updated: 2013-01-11
Packaged: 2017-11-25 03:39:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/634718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kawree/pseuds/kawree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>okay i know that title is stupid don't judge me. i got some fill requests from a drabble list on Tumblr and there's one for every letter of the alphabet so.  yeah.  anyway, i hope to eventually fill the whole list, so this will be a catch-all for them.  most of them will probably involve Axel since he's my favorite, but anyone is fair game; tags will be updated as characters are added.  also none of these are actual drabbles because what is telling a story in 100 words i can't</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Folie à Deux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt: Remember Me
> 
> because it's interesting to think about how jarring it must have been the first time Saïx went into berserker form. ugh this friendship hurts so much /)_(\
> 
> also yeah this one's like 1300 words it's not even _trying_ to be a drabble oops

He had always known Isa had had a temper, but he had so rarely seen it that Lea often forgot this fact. Usually _he_ was the one getting irrationally angry and breaking things he would regret having broken later (pencils, plates, noses), and Isa was the one who talked him down. That had always been the way of things, and he had supposed it always would be. That was before they had lost their hearts, though. That had been before the Organization, before Garden had fallen, and before their lives had been turned on their ears.

Axel didn't think he was really so different from Lea, fundamentally; what difference did a single ethereal concept linked to a vital organ really make, in the end? These newfound abilities certainly seemed worth the trade-in value for a heart, at least, and Axel had reveled in the way he could flick his wrist and call a flame to his fingertips. (Summonable weapons had been pretty keen, too, for that matter; no more carrying stuff around! A most excellent skill for fine-tuning his laziness.)

It seemed Saïx had taken the whole thing a bit more… to heart, as it were, much to Axel's dismay.

With a grunt of pain, Axel sagged against the wall, holding his aching shoulder and breathing heavily. He had always known his friend was physically stronger than he was, but they were fairly evenly matched, regardless. At least, he'd always thought so.

Admittedly, the man standing in front of him wasn't his friend. "Saïx, get a hold of yourself," he said sternly, baring his teeth and straightening against the wall.

It had just been a casual spar, to really get a feel for what these new weapons of theirs could do--what had gone wrong? He had watched in horror as Saïx had raised the great claymore over his head and his eyes had rolled back into their sockets, gleaming gold (but his eyes were _green_!), an inhuman roar tearing from the back of his throat. He'd been so startled by this sudden change that he hadn't even blocked as the blade had swung toward him, and now he was fairly certain he had several broken ribs. Backlit now by the glow of the peculiar heart-shaped moon in the sky above the castle, Axel thought Saïx looked very much like the monsters in those old horror movies they had watched together back home.

"Saïx, come on, what's gotten into you?" he shouted, pressing his back against the wall and wishing he could remember how to summon one of those fancy portals of spinning darkness so he could get _out_ of here. Saïx shifted his grip on Lunatic's hilt and swung it over his head again, and Axel inhaled sharply, then coughed in pain when his cracked ribs screeched in protest. "What the hell are you doing? It's _me_ , you dumbass!"

The rasping breath that bled over Saïx's lips, between his bared, animalistic teeth, told Axel that the other man wasn't listening. His pulse pounding in his ears, Axel tried to call up a corridor of darkness, but the black energy wouldn't heed him. Damn stupid Nobody tricks--he was never going to get the hang of this! And now it was going to literally be the death of him!

He could run, though, couldn't he? There was nothing wrong with his legs--he could just run! Isa had never been able to keep up when they'd raced. … But if he ran, what if Saïx wound up hurting him _self_? What if he lost himself to whatever madness this new form had given him?

No, he had to stay. He had to bring him back. They had been separated once, when Garden had fallen, and he wasn't going to leave him behind now, not even to save his own skin. He _would_ bring him back.

"Saïx!" he shouted again, attempting to melt into the wall, his broken shoulder screaming in pain and his ribs keening in dissonant harmony. "Saïx, _look_ at me!"

Saïx spun the claymore over his head, his lips curling back.

"Don't you remember who I _am_? I'm your best friend--what are you _doing_? Saïx, what happened to you?" His voice was desperate as the claymore spun faster. "You told me you'd never forget me, you liar!"

There was a snarl as Saïx's shoulders heaved and he brought the claymore down.

" _Isa_!"

Axel flinched, ducking his head and closing his eyes as there was a loud clatter, then carefully opened one eye when there was no pain. Wait… had he died already? That couldn't be right, that was way too fast. He snapped his head up and saw Saïx standing before him, the claymore tossed aside. He was staring at his palms, his hands shaking visibly. Axel noted absently that his eyes had lost that eerie gold light and were properly green again.

"Saïx?" he asked quietly, still clutching at his battered shoulder, the arm hanging uselessly at his side. "Are you done being insane?"

The other man gave a start, lifting his head, his eyes focusing on his friend, and they flicked across Axel's frame, as if taking inventory. Then his eyebrows crinkled together viciously.

"Axel…"

"Oh, good, you've got it memorized after all--"

"Did I do that to you?"

Axel blinked, then glanced sidelong at his shoulder before slowly straightening his spine, doing his best not to grimace at the pain in his ribs. "Nope," he said. "Did it to myself." He snorted. "You _wish_ you could keep up with me and kick my ass this bad."

Saïx raked both hands back through his hair, then cast a glance over his shoulder, toward the great pane windows in the massive training room. His gaze seemed to linger on the moon a moment and then he turned back to Axel.

"You need to be Cured," he said, and Axel glowered.

"Well, don't _you_ try," he grumbled; "you're worse at white magic than _I_ am."

"I will take you to Zexion," he said, his tone returning to its normal no-nonsense deadpan, and Axel breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever that madness had been, it was gone now. He was sure they would talk about it later, but for the moment it was enough that Saïx was _Saïx_ again and not that… berserk madman he'd been a moment ago.

His words registered then as he reached out to take Axel's good arm, and the redhead made a noise of protest.

"What? No, not _Zexion_ , that little punk, he hates me! He'll probably Poison me instead," he said, and Saïx gave him a weary look as he waved one hand to dismiss the Lunatic where it had been discarded on the floor.

"Well, if I recall," he said, "you told me you would rather die than let _Xigbar_ use magic in your presence again."

He made an indignant sound and really wished he could have folded his arms then. Saïx cracked the faintest hint of a smile.

"Perhaps one day I will be better at magic than you," he said, "but in the meantime, you'll have to make do." He shook his head, lowering his voice then. "I will speak to the superior about this, in the hopes of preventing its happening again."

"See that you do," Axel griped, and then frowned uncertainly at him before glancing away again. "I'm all for going halvsies on workload, but I don't think I like this whole 'madness shared by two' shctick you're trying out. Overshare, seriously." He pursed his lips. "You lose me a lot when you go on and on about plans and stuff, but… I don't think I've ever lost _you_ before." Certainly never like he'd lost him only moments ago.

Saïx arched one eyebrow. "You _wish_ you could lose me."

Axel's eyes snapped to Saïx's, and then he just laughed. He didn't know what had happened, he didn't know why, and he really didn't like the idea that his best friend might actually be some super powerful crazy nutcase who was capable of killing him if he got it in his head, but he supposed so long as Saïx remembered what was important when it counted, that was really all that mattered.


	2. Dragonslayer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oh good this one is only _three_ times the length of a drabble instead of _twelve_. i'm getting better. this is obviously an AUverse but i'm sure i'm not the only one who has siblingfeels for these two, so. the prompt was Drink Me.

"Is it supposed to be _green_?"

Kairi looked uncertain, holding the shotglass at arm's length and then looking past it toward her brother. Axel propped his jaw against his fist and gave her a long-suffering look.

"Have I ever steered you wrong?" he asked.

"Yes." Her response was immediate and deadpan, and he blustered, waving his other hand.

"Just trust me," he said; "my little sister only turns 21 once, and I'm not about to just let it go to waste."

"That's what you said about giving me driving lessons, too," she reminded him, and he waved both hands this time.

"That was totally not even my fault. Besides, there really are some things you _don't_ have to memorize, you know?" he said, and then pointed firmly at the shotglass. "It's called a Flaming Dragon. It's Chartreuse and Bacardi and it's kinda sweet and a little spicy and you'll like it."

"Or what?" she asked, raising a dubious eyebrow.

Axel threaded his fingers together and rested his chin on them. "Or more for me," he said, and she blew a raspberry.

"Some incentive," she said, and then frowned at the green liquid in the glass. "Okay, I get the dragon part, I guess," she said then, lifting her eyes to him again, "but why is it called 'flaming'?"

She gasped when Axel snapped his fingers and a flame whorled up at the top of the glass, resting atop the liquid. Kairi stared at it a moment, then gave her brother a determined look. He had always had a flair for the dramatic, but this was pushing it a little.

She crinkled her nose at him. "If I burn my eyebrows off drinking this I'm telling grandma it was your idea," she said, and brought the glass to her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Axel you are a horrible influence.


End file.
